1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin processing apparatus for use with vending machines, coin exchanging machines, and other types of service machines or the like. More particularly, this invention relates to a coin processing apparatus which is so designed that if a coin return lever is operated to guide an inserted coin lying in a coin path to a coin return path, this fact is detected on the basis of an output level of a receiving coil of a coin selecting coil device so as to automatically execute a cancellation process for canceling the acceptance of the inserted coin, and also the occurrence of coin jamming and/or counter-flow is detected on the basis of the output level of the receiving coil.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional vending machines or the like are arranged such that if a coin return lever is operated, a gate lever of a coin selector is pushed in response thereto so that a gate provided in front of a coin path is opened and a deformed coin or the like jammed in the coin path is forcibly delivered to a coin return port through a coin return path.
If a coin lying in the coin path is forcibly returned through operation of the coin return lever, then accurate counting of the inserted coins is not guaranteed. To cope with this, it has conventionally been arranged that when the coin return lever is operated or when the gate lever is pushed, this is directly detected, and acceptance of the inserted coin is rejected in response to an output resulting from the detection, thus executing a so-called cancellation process for returning the inserted coin.
To be able to achieve such direct detection of the coin return lever being operated or the gate lever being pushed, however, it is necessary to provide a special sensor either on the coin return lever or the gate lever, and thus, it is required that a space for such a special sensor be secured. Further, it is also required that means for monitoring the output of the special sensor be provided. Obviously, this leads to such disadvantages that the coin processing apparatus becomes large-sized and the process turns out to be complicated.
Furthermore, in case a deformed coin or the like is inserted into the coin path, such a deformed coin may be jammed at the portion of the coin path where a coin selecting coil is provided. To cope with this, it has also been the conventional practice to provide a special coin jamming sensor for detecting such coin jamming. Consequently, it is further required that a space for the special coin jamming sensor be secured and means for monitoring the output of the special coin jamming sensor be provided. Disadvantageously, this constitutes another cause for increasing the size of the apparatus and making the process complicated.
With the conventional coin processing apparatus, the design has been made such that when a coin passes through the coin selecting coil provided in the coin path and is judged as a true coin by the coin selecting coil, the apparatus is ready to accept the coin thus judged as a true coin. However, in case the inserted coin is one having a piece of thread attached thereto and is returned, by pulling the thread, back to the position where the coin selecting coil is provided, then the coin selecting coil is liable to judge this coin as a newly inserted coin; thus, there arises such a problem that the coin count is unduly increased without any coin being actually inserted.
To cope with this, the conventional coin processing apparatus of this type is provided with coin counter-flow preventing means which is mechanically arranged to prevent the coin, which has once passed through the coin selecting coil in the coin path, from being returned to the position where the coin selecting coil is disposed.
With such an arrangement, however, it is required that a space for mounting such coin counter-flow preventing means be secured, and this constitutes a further cause for increasing the size of the coin processing apparatus.